20 - Dani Olmo

[Masetro10]

So, we are buying a player that solves 0 of our issues to likely play out of his best position.

Amazing. Mes que un mess.

On the contrary he solves multiple issues. No longer do we need to worry about Pedri. We have a long term successor to Gundogan. Our AM role is completed until at least 2030.

 

[BBZ8800]

Olmo will be one of our best players next season. Mark my words.

I haven't wrote about Barca too much lately.

But the same as Barcaman, I am happy for this transfer.

As a Croatian, we watched him a lot for Dinamo, and Dinamo got way weaker once when Olmo left.

Also, he managed to turn Spain, who weren't winners in the last decade, into winners.

I see that some are mentioning that he has no clear position, like Coutinho and Griezmann.

Well, football stats from all around Europe show that 433 formation is used less and less.
4231 is the most used formation in Europe in the last 2 years.
With a huge rise of 3421 and 442.

So, football goes in cycles.
The same as how TikiTaka turned into sterile TikiTaka over years and how lately people are trying to play more direct, vertical or counterattacking TikiTaka (Spanish NT for example), maybe the same fate will struck 433 formation.

442 was absolutely the most dominant formation in 90s and up until 2004', but then it died since 433 and 4231 were an absolute kryptonites for 442 and killed it.

Since lately coaches are turning to 4231, 352, 3421, 442 and some hybrid formations (like Pep) where full backs turn into midfielders and similar, maybe we should be more open that Barca's future is NOT 433 anymore.

Also, it seems that a CAM position is getting back into the fashion and that 4 attacking players (Lw, Cam, Rw, Cf) are offering a different kind of a threat than 433 with 2 Cms, who are both (in Barca's case) very sterile goal-scoring wise.

Maybe we'll lose some fluidity and (sterile) control from Barca's 433 and move to 4231 with 4 deadly players around the box.

And what others have mentioned, Gundogan is semi retired, Frenkie was never a good fit (but he might find his position in a double pivot).
Plus, they both might leave soon.

Also, Olmo is a local guy, he won't have accomodation problems like Coutinho.
He played at La Masia and Spain, so he won't come from a defensive system like Arda.
And he is a way better dribbler and scorer than Griezmann.

All in all, I like this transfer.
And unlike Barca DNA purists, I am open for 4231 and even 3-at-the-back formations because football is evolving and changing all the time.

Even Pep doesn't use 433 as much as he used to, right?

 

[FCBfan22]

On the contrary he solves multiple issues. No longer do we need to worry about Pedri. We have a long term successor to Gundogan. Our AM role is completed until at least 2030.

If we sell Gundogan next summer and get a LW until then, I agree.

 

[FinBarcelonafan]

Olmo is a 10, not a LW IMO. We need a pure winger. We saw that Spain won on the backs of the wingers even with a terrible striker.

We are stacked with attacking mids and even Gundo has shown during Euros that #10 is his best position. Why buy another player of the same profile, if you don't sell the other. If we sold Gundogan, this signing would make sense.

I would also mention that Morata is a hard working striker. While Lewy has more quality for scoring, he is way too lazy. Roque or Pau would fit much better the Spanish striker style.

Pau probably being the best fit.

 

[FCBfan22]

I would also mention that Morata is a hard working striker. While Lewy has more quality for scoring, he is way too lazy. Roque or Pau would fit much better the Spanish striker style.

Pau probably being the best fit.

Morata covered A LOT in terms of workrate for Olmo during Euros. If we indeed switch to 4231 (which I think is the way to go), either our CAM or ST needs to have a decently high defensive workrate.

 

[Masetro10]

If we sell Gundogan next summer and get a LW until then, I agree.

To be fair I think Barca would tell everyone they preferred LW with Nico. He just decided weirdly to stay at Bilbao.

 

[FinBarcelonafan]

I haven't wrote about Barca too much lately.

But the same as Barcaman, I am happy for this transfer.

As a Croatian, we watched him a lot for Dinamo, and Dinamo got way weaker once when Olmo left.

Also, he managed to turn Spain, who weren't winners in the last decade, into winners.

I see that some are mentioning that he has no clear position, like Coutinho and Griezmann.

Well, football stats from all around Europe show that 433 formation is used less and less.
4231 is the most used formation in Europe in the last 2 years.
With a huge rise of 3421 and 442.

So, football goes in cycles.
The same as how TikiTaka turned into sterile TikiTaka over years and how lately people are trying to play more direct, vertical or counterattacking TikiTaka (Spanish NT for example), maybe the same fate will struck 433 formation.

442 was absolutely the most dominant formation in 90s and up until 2004', but then it died since 433 and 4231 were an absolute kryptonites for 442 and killed it.

Since lately coaches are turning to 4231, 352, 3421, 442 and some hybrid formations (like Pep) where full backs turn into midfielders and similar, maybe we should be more open that Barca's future is NOT 433 anymore.

Also, it seems that a CAM position is getting back into the fashion and that 4 attacking players (Lw, Cam, Rw, Cf) are offering a different kind of a threat than 433 with 2 Cms, who are both (in Barca's case) very sterile goal-scoring wise.

Maybe we'll lose some fluidity and (sterile) control from Barca's 433 and move to 4231 with 4 deadly players around the box.

And what others have mentioned, Gundogan is semi retired, Frenkie was never a good fit (but he might find his position in a double pivot).
Plus, they both might leave soon.

Also, Olmo is a local guy, he won't have accomodation problems like Coutinho.
He played at La Masia and Spain, so he won't come from a defensive system like Arda.
And he is a way better dribbler and scorer than Griezmann.

All in all, I like this transfer.
And unlike Barca DNA purists, I am open for 4231 and even 3-at-the-back formations because football is evolving and changing all the time.

Even Pep doesn't use 433 as much as he used to, right?

Spain won because Williams and Yamal. Spain won't score a goal without those two. We saw it in million other competitions before this. Sterile possession forever. Saying Olmo won it, is I dont know. Too much. He performed well with limited minutes but it was Williams and Yamal who won it. They changed the dynamic of the whole team, meaning they were the two most influential players.

 

[malvolio]

So, we are buying a player that solves 0 of our issues to likely play out of his best position.

Amazing. Mes que un mess.

On a limited budget, with said player having injury issues and not really setting the world alight his whole club career.

If it wasn't for the good Euro there would be no excuse left for this guy being transfered for 60M.

 

[El Ilusionista]

Doesn’t sound good man.

 

[FinBarcelonafan]

On a limited budget, with said player having injury issues and not really setting the world alight his whole club career.

If it wasn't for the good Euro there would be no excuse left for this guy being transfered for 60M.

It's a bad deal, especially for Barca. If City signed him to play 10 games a season and as a impact sub he could be decent, but we are not in this position. We need real starters, high quality. The best players from the leagues. Olmo was never even close to being the best player on Bundesleague.

 

[FinBarcelonafan]

View attachment 10691


Doesn’t sound good man.

The moment when you realize you are about the be ******

 

[malvolio]

It's a bad deal, especially for Barca. If City signed him to play 10 games a season and as a impact sub he could be decent, but we are not in this position. We need real starters, high quality. The best players from the leagues. Olmo was never even close to being the best player on Bundesleague.

Croatian league seems to be the standard now

 

[Messi983]

Olmo will be one of our best players next season. Mark my words.

Then we are fecked.

 

[BBZ8800]

Spain won because Williams and Yamal. Spain won't score a goal without those two. We saw it in million other competitions before this. Sterile possession forever. Saying Olmo won it, is I dont know. Too much. He performed well with limited minutes but it was Williams and Yamal who won it. They changed the dynamic of the whole team, meaning they were the two most influential players.

Ok, I think that Nico and Yamal are slightly overrated here.

Nico was totally hot and cold.
In some matches, he was a machine.
In others, he was like: is he playing today?

Yamal, I won't get too much into complaining since people will get offended, but let's say that his consistency was meh.
He was somewhat quiet in majority of matches and then he would pull the longshot goal or an assist out of nowhere.

TLDR: wingers were either hot and cold (Nico) or quiet (Yamal) who would pull 1-2 moments of magic out of nowhere.
Their wingers were the icing on the cake, but Spain wouldn't win without the rest of the team who worked hard and tried to find spaces for 90 minutes.
So, in short: Spain wouldn't won without deadly wingers.
But also, their deady wingers wouldn't be able to deliver the final bullet (goals) if the rest of the team didn't work well, move, pass and defend for 90 minutes.

So, saying that wingers will solve everything is oversimplification, imo.

I was personally never sold on Pedri's greatness.
He is slow, can't dribble, doesn't have shooting instincts, he is very injury prone and often gets involved in matches too little for Barca's standards.
Gundo is old.
Frenkie was always a weird fit who also can't score.
Fermin can score but is questionable for now in his overal play.
Gavi is a weird player, jack of all trades.

So, for me, Olmo is a midfielder who is our best midfielder currently.

And one more time, look at other big teams, they all have some sort of CAM lately.
Real with Bellingham.
Man City with several players who play as hybrid CAM-wingers.
Bayern uses CAM.
Only Arsenal plays 433 like us, but they have Odegaard who is more lethal than our guys, and often use attackers like Trossard, Martinelli, Havertz as midfielders when they need a goal in the last 20 minutes.

City, Arsenal, the strongest teams:
1. have wingers who can score
2. have a Cf who can score
3. have midfielders around the box who can score.
I personally have more faith in Olmo scoring from around the box, as Foden, De Bruyne etc than Pedri and Gavi.

And one more time, 433 is on a huge decline in top5 leagues compared to 5 years ago.

Maybe we are entering the era of the attacking quartet in Lw-Cam-Rw-Cf as something what will dominate in the next 5 years.

 

[Messi983]

BBZ liking this transfer makes things even worse.

Remember when he thought Coutinho will immediately become our 2nd best player.